


The Trash Bandits Christmas Special

by PirateQueenCatherine



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Christmas, Free Companies (Final Fantasy XIV), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateQueenCatherine/pseuds/PirateQueenCatherine
Summary: The Trash Bandits are hosting a Christmas party, inviting everyone together who had been around in the last year, with a couple bonus honourary guests.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	The Trash Bandits Christmas Special

_ ‘Twas the night before Starlight, when all through the Mist, _

_ All the Trash Bandits were partying, as someone checked their list, _

_ The stockings were hung by Thalbier himself, _

_ As they waited for Godbe-, uh, I mean, the Saint of Nymeia and his elf _

“Nina,” Thalbier called, “could you help with putting this line of lights up?”

“Are even you not tall enough to reach it?”

“No, but you’re light enough that I could lift you there.” He grinned.

After a brief pout, she stepped forward, but before she could even prepare herself, Thalbier had grabbed the woman around the waist and lifted her high off the ground, almost bumping her horns on the ceiling.

“Just...nnf...get them on the hook…”

“You should have handed me the lights before you picked me up!” She protested, kicking her legs.

_ Everyone refused to be snug in their beds,  _

_ Instead letting mead and wine go straight to their heads, _

_ Although the Miqo’te earlier, after following a map, _

_ Had spent their evenings in a little nap _

Chitose and Jade were certainly dressed for a late night: both in their comfiest, softest pyjamas. The kind you could fall asleep in while standing up. While Jade had been sleeping for, well, most of the recent moons, Chitose had kindly returned for the Starlight Celebrations from places she didn’t talk about in polite company. Wahaha would raise her eyebrows whenever someone asked, though. 

They had both brought gifts from far and wide, although the Trash Bandits had made it abundantly clear that the gifts were worth far less than their presence, which they all adored.

The sake from Kugane, though, was certainly appreciated.

_ And suddenly, out on the lawn, there came a clatter, _

_ Nori sprung from a seat, to see what was the matter, _

_ Out the front door, she rose like a flash,  _

_ To discover the source of the crash _

Despite the wholesome and gentle nature of the season, three certain Trash Bandits had taken a calm moment to make sure the target dummies outside knew the full extent of their ‘festive cheer.’ 

Tii Quu sat at the bushes panting, white aether seeping from his body after Willow Tumet had, in a panic, cast enough healing magicks to bring back an Ascian. And Jezebel, well, her rapier continued to swipe at the target dummy, leaving it a scorched, charred mess.

“It’s the Starlight festival, you three! Why, in Hydaelyn’s name, are you fighting?”

“There was a bet.” Willow replied, taking a seat next to Tii. 

“And I won.” Roared Jezebel, standing proudly over them all, looking all the more tall with her smug grin.

“Best 7 out of 15?” Tii croaked, getting up onto one knee slowly. 

Nori stamped her foot. “Absolutely not! No more fighting today, get inside!”

With a grunt, the three raiders were ushered in at the behest of one very large, very pointy lance.

_ Inside, with the help of Vin, there was a slow fall of white snow, _

_ Created with magics to disappear on the ground, to protect the presents below, _

_ Although it had been hard to produce clouds up in the air, _

_ As Taratell and Basic would frequently walk into them and split them over their hair _

“Please, you two, crouch down a bit! I don’t want to have to keep recreating these fake clouds just because you’re walking into them.”

“I have really big ears, it’s not my fault!” Taratell replied, as she ducked underneath one, but not far enough that her right ear clipped it, leaving a trail of cloud and snow attached to her.

“I’m just not exactly used to it, if I’m honest.” Replied the roegadyn, shrugging from his seat. 

Basic had only recently returned from some place he called the Shadowlands. Nobody knew much of it, and nobody was entirely sure if he had just been making it up to excuse an absence, but he hadn’t been seen in Eorzea in months.

Perhaps, in that place, he wasn’t considered so tall.

“I can and will Holy you if you do it again!” Vin exclaimed, flicking a faint red lily that was attached to her staff. 

“You absolutely will not.” Nina cried from the kitchen nearby.

Taratell smirked. 

“No, I think I’m the one making things...hole-y.”

Everyone within earshot groaned.

_ From outside, everyone could hear the final guests, rarely ones to arrive too quick, _

_ Erielle and Ania, dressed to the nines, right in the nick, _

_ With that, everyone had arrived, everyone had came,  _

_ For the hosts of this gathering to call them all by name _

“Alright, aye, you can never doubt we have the right place when it’s a Trash Bandits party.” Ania teased, as the hosts came to take their coats. Thalbier beamed a smile.

“Thank you for inviting us.” Erielle spoke far more politely.

“Oh, no, thank you,” Thalbier replied, gesturing at the both of them. “Best dressed in the house. You had no need to do anything like this!”

Both of them smiled at that. 

“Exactly why we did it,” Ania replied, adjusting herself to stand back-to-back with Erielle. “Got to be the best in something, and best dressed comes pretty easily when you have arms like ours.” Erielle rolled her eyes.

“I promise we didn’t do any pre-drinking. Ania’s just excited.” She stepped away from Ania, who gave a faux-offended look back, before chasing after her to mingle with the group now that the party was truly ready to get started.

Thalbier and Nina stood on the stairs of the Trash Bandits mansion, clinking glasses to get everyone’s attention.

“Thank you everyone for coming along to this little gathering. Wahaha, Cheshire and Kiyo, Willow and Nori, Jade, Rivelia, Jezebel, Frozen, Erielle, Ania, Vin, Taratell, Chitose, Nelala, Isobel, Tii, Basic.”

She took a deep breath to catch her words after that. 

“I promise I wasn’t naming you in any particular order. Even if it seemed I might be going by height.”

“Clearly not, I’d be last then.” Jezebel joked. 

“I’ll have you know that I’m taller with the ears.” Vin nudged her side.

“Anyway,” Nina continued, before anyone got out the measuring tape for the seventh time, “I just wanted to say thank you for coming along and spending some time with us. Now and any other time through the year, you’ve been around in some way.”

“Thank you for making Trash Bandits.” Thalbier continued. “And for fighting creatures, creating furniture, helping out wherever. Even our honourary Trash Bandits, Kiyo and Frozen.”

Nina raised her glass. 

“Cheers to another year of the Trash Bandits.”

The group cheered, lifting their glasses. It almost felt as though Wahaha somehow raised her tankard the highest. 

_ “Now Nori, Willow, and Vin and Jezebel, _

_ And Cheshire and Kiyo and Ania, Erielle, _

_ And everyone here, to the top of the hall,  _

_ Make this a celebration to remember, one and all!” _

Everyone split up. Some took to the food, lovingly prepared by the culinarians. Others took to the games, Rivelia leading the way by teaching a game they had played on another world. Something about Legends.

While in the central hall, the lovebirds had congregated, Nori and Willow standing together, trying to be subtle as they stood shoulder to shoulder, while Kiyo and Cheshire joked together, telling stories about Kiyo’s experiences with her own free company.

The laughs overpowered the rest of the hall, gathering more and more people together as they grew curious who had generated such a crowd. 

Until Frozen was brought in, who immediately took the mantle. Cheshire had one arm around each Kiyo and Frozen, pulling them in tight as they made themselves wonderfully at home in the company of the bandits.

_ The celebrations continued, even as it went dark, everyone would perk, _

_ Even for the quiet ones, others would encourage them not to lurk, _

_ The magic-focused ones would create impressive shows, _

_ Although one Lalafell did take a moment to doze _

“You uh, okay, Wahaha?” Isobel asked, sitting beside the Lalafell, who had taken a comfortable position underneath a selection of the finest pillows the Free Company had to offer.

“Mhm, just, uh, this isn’t my first Starlight celebration this season. Or my second, or third…”

“Did you come here already hungover, Wahaha.”

“I don’t know what you could possibly mean.” She closed her eyes and placed a pillow over her head.

With a bellowing laugh, Nelala came to sit on the other side of the small woman. 

“You know, there’s ways to fix that.”

“I think it’s cheating just to make yourself bigger so you can drink more mead.” She croaked, muffled by the pillow. Nelala gave her a gentle pat - or, what would be a gentle pat for a Hrothgar, but was far rougher for a drunk-and-hungover-at-once Lala.

Isobel shook her head. “And here I thought I had made a mistake coming here after my week.”

The large lion cocked his head, looking at Isobel.

“Everything alright?”

“Yes, yes,” she replied, shrugging. “I’ve just spent the last few weeks, you know, catching up on some quests I had agreed to a while ago. You wouldn’t believe the places I’ve been…”

“I think I might.” Nelala grinned. “But tell me more.”

_ Nobody bothered with the time, until the sun rising made some of them bristle, _

_ And, come morning, Thalbier blew the metaphorical whistle, _

_ “Merry Starlight to you all, but I must ask things to end, and to accept it’s past night, _

_ For now it’s my turn, to redecorate this place once again, and give you all a new sight!” _

  
  


* * *

_ ‘Twas the night before Starlight, when all through the Mist, _

_ All the Trash Bandits were partying, as someone checked their list, _

_ The stockings were hung by Thalbier himself, _

_ As they waited for Godbe-, uh, I mean, the Saint of Nymeia and his elf, _

_ Everyone refused to be snug in their beds,  _

_ Instead letting mead and wine go straight to their heads, _

_ Although the Miqo’te earlier, after following a map, _

_ Had spent their evenings in a little nap, _

_ And suddenly, out on the lawn, there came a clatter, _

_ Nori sprung from a seat, to see what was the matter, _

_ Out the front door, she rose like a flash,  _

_ To discover the source of the crash, _

_ Inside, with the help of Vin, there was a slow fall of white snow, _

_ Created with magics to disappear on the ground, to protect the presents below, _

_ Although it had been hard to produce clouds up in the air, _

_ As Taratell and Basic would frequently walk into them and split them over their hair, _

_ From outside, everyone could hear the final guests, rarely ones to arrive too quick, _

_ Erielle and Ania, dressed to the nines, right in the nick, _

_ With that, everyone had arrived, everyone had came,  _

_ For the hosts of this gathering to call them all by name, _

_ “Now Nori, Willow, and Vin and Jezebel, _

_ And Cheshire and Kiyo and Ania, Erielle, _

_ And everyone here, to the top of the hall,  _

_ Make this a celebration to remember, one and all!” _

_ The celebrations continued, even as it went dark, everyone would perk, _

_ Even for the quiet ones, others would encourage them not to lurk, _

_ The magic-focused ones would create impressive shows, _

_ Although one Lalafell did take a moment to doze, _

_ Nobody bothered with the time, until the sun rising made some of them bristle, _

_ And, come morning, Thalbier blew the metaphorical whistle, _

_ “Merry Starlight to you all, but I must ask things to end, and to accept it’s past night, _

_ For now it’s my turn, to redecorate this place once again, and give you all a new sight!” _

**Author's Note:**

> For the Trash Bandits. <3


End file.
